C. baccatum

About the pictures

The pods in the first picture are Aji Panca from The Pepper Gal
grown by Lynn Edwards.

The next two pictures are the aji amarillo (yellow) cultivar. The last
two are the red cultivar. Grown by Brent Thompson in San Jose, CA.

C. baccatum var. pendulum, also called aji (South America),
Uchu (Quechua). This is the most common pepper species in South
America (though others are also sometimes called aji).

A lowland species found up to 1,100 m elevation. It is a tall (3-6 feet)
sprawling shrub; flowers have white corolla with 2 yellow spots at the
base of each petal; fruits pungent. It requires a long growing season (over
120 days) as it is slow to begin flowering. This species has nearly as
many cultivars as C. annuum, with much variation in size, shape, and color
(which can be yellow, orange, brown, and red). Aji's have a fruity flavor.

Heat Range

30,000-50,000 Scoville Heat Units.

Typical Uses

Used in ceviche and salsas. Also dried and used as chile powder.

Other C. baccatum varieties

From left: Chapeu-de-Frade, Kovinchu, Portachuela. Grown by Brent Thompson
in San Jose, CA.

Cayenne

Long, slender pods. Varieties range from 4 inches to 10 inches, mature
color can be either red or yellow.

Heat Range

30,000-50,000 Scoville Heat Units

Typical uses

Dried, and powdered, or crushed into flakes. Many Louisiana hot sauces
use cayennes.

C. Chinense peppers

About the pictures

The first picture is a typical habanero; the second is a photo of the
'Red Savina' cultivar. The next two pictures are my 'goat' peppers -- they
start out very light green, then turn to red rather than orange. The fifth
is a Rocotillo pepper; Jean
Andrews calls it her favorite eating pepper.

Habaneros are the most famous of the C. Chinense peppers. Pods
are about 2 inches long, and 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

Heat Range

0 - 325,000 Scoville Heat Units; most habaneros run in the 150,000 range;
the Red Savina was measured at 325,000.

Typical uses

Fresh in salsas; pickled or made into hot sauces, typically mixed with
onion and carrots.

This is a Scotch Bonnet pepper, most likely a different cultivar from the
habanero. These ripen from green to yellow. Pepper grown by Rich Pearlstein
in Delaware.
Ojemma peppers (not sure of the spelling) are a very nice C. chinense cultivar
grown widely in Ghana. It has a nice flavor and heat, but not as good tasting
as the Scotch bonnet. However, it is VERY prolific and high yielding, germinates
readily, and bears early in the season, none of which are typical of Scotch
bonnet! Also it seems immune to TMV unlike the other varieties I have grown.
The Ojemma comes true to seed in my experience, even when open-pollinated.

Rich Pearlstein -- richie@marlin.ssnet.com

Pimenta de Cheiro, grown by John Moore in Melbourne, Austraila. This is
one of the two main culinary chiles used in Brazil.

The name pimenta de cheiro means (roughly) "scented chile",
and it is used as much for its taste as for its heat. It is also called
"pimenta arriba saia", which refers to the women raising their
skirts to fan their faces because of the heat of the food. It is, I believe,
C. chinense, and looks very much like habanero, from the photos I have
seen of habaneros. Pimenta de Cheiro is larger [than a habanero plant]
with even darker green leaves which are smooth rather than crinkled like
the others. Itis actually quite a handsome plant with its deep green foliage
and rich orange fruit.

Pimenta de cheiro is used whole in a small number of casserole/stew
type dishes, such as Sarapatel, sometimes called the Brazilian haggis,
made from offal, blood, pimenta de cheiro and a few other things.

Aji Yuquitania; grown by Brent Thompson in the San Francisco Bay area.

Aji Yuquitania (C. chinense), is from the Cubeo Indians, Mitu region,
Dept. Vaupes, Colombia. It is extremely pungent, reputedly much more so
than habanero (difficult to tell at that heat level, but my taste tests
haven't yet contradicted that reputation).

Flavor similar to habanero and most other C. chinense, though different
of course. Flavor a bit milder than habanero -- I think I prefer its flavor
over habanero, and at least one of my test victims definitely does. Unfortunately,
I have not yet succeeded in getting any known-to-be-self-pollenized fruits,
so am getting worried about prospects for the future.

Jalapeño

About the pictures

The first picture shows the typical green jalapeños, which ripen
to red (second picture).

Jalapeño peppers are named after the Mexican city of Xalapa.
The pods are about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

About the pictures

These two picture are of smoked jalapeños, known as chipotles.
The first picture is a home-smoked jalapeno from my garden, the second
is 2 chipotle mecos bought in "La Merced" --the most important
flea market in Mexico City, certainly a place to visit by a chile lover--
and they are good quality. Chipotle Meco scanned by Daniel
M. German

Heat Range

2500-10,000 Scoville Heat Units

Typical uses

Fresh in salsas; pickled. Can be frozen well, but don't dry well since
they are too thick. Ripe (red) jalapeños are smoked and then called
chipotles.

Varieties

Jalapa and TAM Jalapeño are milder than the standard variety

Other photos

This is a ristra,
a string of red chiles.
This is a picture of some pepper plants with one of the mosaic viruses.
TMV (tobacco mosaic virus) is a common one which can be spread by smokers.
Wash your hands before gardening!
This is a photo of one of my New Mex Twilight pepper plants. This is an
ornamental pepper. It grows about 2 ft high, and is great in containers.
The second photo is of the pods. They start out yellow, then turn purple,
orange and red, and are about 1" long.
NuMex Centennial. Another ornamental pepper plant developed at New Mexico
State. Similiar to the Twilight's above. Pods ripen from purple -> cream
-> orange -> red. Compact plants. Grown by Lynn Edwards in the SF
Bay area.
Pretty Peruvian Purple. A very nice looking plant. Mostly green, but with
lots of purple highlights. Pods start out green, and ripen to red then
purple.

New Mexico

About the pictures

The first two pictures are of the variety NexMex Joe Parker, grown in
Davis, CA. The third and fourth pictures are NewMex Big Jim peppers, grown
in Los Lunas, NM and Hatch, NM respectively, courtesy of Rick Myers. The
peppers in the fifth picture are dried NewMex Joe Parkers. The last two
are varieties usually grown for ornamental ristras: NuMex Sunrise (yellow)
and NuMex Sunset (orange) (grown by Lynn Edwards).

New Mexico (also called Anaheim) is the standard commercial fresh green
or dried red chile pepper. Pods range from 4 to over 10 inches long and
ripen from dark green to red.

Heat Range

500-2500 Scoville Heat Units

Typical uses

Green: roast,
peel and use for salsa, sauces (especially chile verde) or stuff with cheese,
shrimp or various spiced meat/vegetable mixtures, or freeze.
Red: dry
in the sun or make
a ristra, dried chiles can be used for red chile sauces or ground into
chile powder.

Varieties

Other Peppers

Cherry

Cherry peppers, because they look like cherries! Heat ranges from 0
to 3500 Scoville Heat Units. Red or orange when ripe. Nice looking ornamental
plant. Ususally found pickled. The pods in the first picture came from
a local farmer's market; they're a sweet cherry pepper. The larger pods
in the second picture were grown by Lynn Edwards and are the Hot Cherry
variety from Plants of the Southwest.

Chiltepin

Here's some Chiltepin peppers that were grown in Mexico. These are wild
peppers, sometimes called Tepin, Bird, or Bird's Eye peppers. The seeds
need to pass through the digestive tract of a bird before they will germinate.
Heat is similar to a Serrano, but varies quite a bit. They have subtle
flavor, and are good to use in soups, stews or sauces.

Rick Myers -- rcm@col.hp.com

De Arbol

Similar looking to cayenne, but not related. Smaller, 2-3" long
with a distinctive flavor. Hot, between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville Heat
Units. Large plants, forming a multi-branching tree shape. Used red or
dry, primarily in sauces. The pictured chiles were grown from De Arbol
peppers, but probably are a cross since they are somewhat larger.

Fresno

The Fresno variety originated in Fresno, CA, in 1952 by the Clarance
Brown Seed Co. Andrews suggests it is a TMV resistant cross between serranos
and one of the long green New Mexico type peppers. Medium hot, probably
around 5,000-15,000 Scoville Heat Units. I've used them for stuffing, salsas,
and to add more heat to green chile sauce.

Guajillo

I don't know too much about these, but they are used in a number of
Mexican dishes and are common there. DeWitt and Bosland classify them with
the mirasol pod type in The
Pepper Garden. Other Mirisol varieties include Cascabel.
2500-5000 Scoville Heat Units. These are about 4-6" long. Usually
dried and ground for chile powder, or used fresh in salsas.

Güero

Commonly found in Mexico. I picked these up at a chili (the red meaty
stuff) festival. Güero means 'blond' in Spanish; ie, the peppers are
yellow when mature. They have a nice, spicy smell to them.

Muta

Picked up at the farmer's market in Sacramento. The grower called them
"muta" or maybe "mufa". He said they were hotter than
seranno,
but not as hot at the red
chiles he was selling. They are similar in size and shape to pasilla's,
but are much hotter and not as wrinkled or seedy.

Peter Pepper

Also called penis pepper due to it's shape. Ranges from 3" to 7".
Ripens to red. Hot. Grown by Lynn Edwards.

Purple peppers?

My next door neighbor grows these -- They start out very dark purple,
then turn red when ripe. I ate a bit of one last year, said "These
aren't very hot", then took a lager bite -- WOW! Just as hot as Thai
peppers. Just under 1", and more egg-shaped than elongated. He tells
me they're called something like "Pretty Purple Peruvian Peppers".
Seeds of Change sells something like these; they call them a C. frutescens.

Pasilla

About the picture

The pepper on the left is one of my "Pasilla Apaseo" that
I grew in 1994. The one on the right is a dried pasilla negro found by
Rick Meyers in a store in Albuquerque, for $5.99/lb.

Commonly used in Mexican cooking, somwhat uncommon in the US. Very
dark green, ripens to a dark brown; sometimes called chile negro
when dried. Up to 8-10" long, thin walled, wrinkled skin. Also called
chilaca when fresh.

Heat Range

1000-1500 Scoville Heat Units.

Uses

Dried pods used for mole sauces, fresh can be used in enchilada
and chile sauces. Diana Kennedy has a great sauce consisting of 3-4 toasted
dried pods, 1 Tbs salt and a few garlic cloves chopped up in 1/2 cup of
water. Put two tablespoons in a heated pan for a few seconds, then throw
in two scrambled eggs. Serve over heated tortilla, top with ranchero cheese.
Great!

Pimiento

Pimiento grow on low spreading plants, and are similar to bell peppers.
Pods are dark green, and ripen to bright red. I bought these from a local
grower at the farmer's market. Thick, semi-tapering pods.

Heat Range

0 Scoville Heat Units (no heat)

Typical uses

Canned and used to stuff olives. Used fresh like bell peppers. Can be
pickled or dried and used for paprika.

Poblano (Ancho)

About the pictures

The first picture is a poblano grown here in Davis, CA. The second is
a scanned photo of another pod; it has better contrast. The third picture
is one of the Ancho-101 commercial variety. The next picture is several
dried poblano peppers, now called ancho chiles. The last picture is an
Ancho Mulato, bought in Albuquerque by Rick Meyers. Mulato's are poblano's
that turn black or dark brown when ripe.

Poblanos are 3-6 inches long, dark green, turning to red. The pods
are a distinctive heart-shape. Anchos are the dried form of the poblano.

Heat Range

1000-1500 Scoville Heat Units

Typical uses

Green: roast, peel and use for salsa, sauces (especially chile verde)
or stuff with cheese, shrimp or various spiced meat/vegetable mixtures,
or freeze.
Red: dry in the sun; dried chiles can be used for red chile sauces or ground
into chile powder for use in moles. The traditional mole has ancho,
mulato and pasiila chiles.

Varieties

Ancho-101, Poblano Mulato

C. pubescens

About the pictures

*The only Chile with black seeds. Also called Rocoto (Peru), Locoto
(Bolivia), chile Manzano and chile Peron (Mexico). This is the most common
chile found in the Andes. Flowers are purple with some white, leaves and
stems are strongly pubescent (hairy), and the seeds are dark brown or black
rather than yellow or white. It requires a long cool frost-free growing
season (120+ days), preferring temperatures of 40-60 degrees F. (therefore
they do better in the shade for most of us). The plants will grow 10+ years
and get up over 10 ft. tall if not subjected to frost or extreme summer
heat. Pods mature to yellow. Fruit is very fleshy and seed core is quite
separate from the flesh, rather like a small, pungent, delicious bell pepper.
Some palates consider them much hotter than Habaneros due to the unique
mix of capsaicins.

The rest were scanned and grown by Brent Thompson:

The first three are red C. pubesecens, including one cut open showing
the black seeds.

The last two are yellow C. pubesecens.

C. pubescens, also called rocoto (Peru), locoto (Bolivia),
chile manzano and chile peron (Mexico). This is the most
common chile found in the Andes. Flowers are purple with some white, leaves
and stems are strongly pubescent (hairy), and the seeds are dark (brown
or black) rather than yellow or white. It requires a long cool frost-free
growing season (120+ days), preferring temperatures of 40-60 degrees F.
(therefore they do better in the shade for most of us). The plants will
grow 10+ years and get up over 10 ft. tall if not subjected to frost (or
summer heat).

Pods mature to red, yellow, orange, or brown. Fruit is very fleshy and
seed core is quite separate from the flesh, rather like a small, pungent,
delicious bell pepper. Some varieties seem much hotter than habaneros due
to the unique mix of capsaicins.

Heat Range

30,000-60,000 Scoville Heat Units.

Typical Uses

Usually eaten fresh in salsas or stuffed and baked.

Tabasco

C. frutescens. The main ingredient in Tabasco sauce. Commercial
Tabasco Sauce involves salting, then barrel fermenting the mashed chiles
for several years, then mixing with vinegar. Plants are two to three feet
tall, and need a long hot summer to do best. Pods ripen from yellow to
orange to red.

Pods in the first picture courtesy of Rich Perlstein; those in
the second courtesy of Lynn Edwards.

Heat Range

30,000-50,000 Scoville Heat Units.

Typical Uses

Used for vinegar based sauces, or spicy Asian dishes.

These are from a plant which was given to me as C. chacoense, but which
is actually C. frutescens [12Nov94] -- probably in fact some wierd pointy
type of tabasco:

Wax

Hungarian Hot Wax

Pods vary by variety ranging from 2" to nearly 8". The heat
also varies from 0 to over 30,000 Scoville Heat Unit. I picked these up
at the local farmer's market; they were called "Hungarian Hot Wax"
peppers. Common uses include pickling and used fresh like bell peppers.

Santa Fe Grande

Santa Fe Grande is a variety of the more common wax peppers.
The peppers start out yellow, and ripen thru orange to a medium red color.
They are about the same size as jalapeños (3" long, about 1"
wide). The plants produce well (20-50 peppers). These were grown in Davis,
CA.

Szentesi

These particular peppers were one of my favorites. They are very prolific,
hot (but not too hot for mass consumption), stuff well, and most importantly
produce hot fruit early in the season when many other 'hot' varieties are
still too mild (like bell peppers). The Szentesi plants are still loaded
with fruit in mid-October in northern California.

Lynn Edwards

Other Wax Varieties

Hungarian Wax is the most common; many others are mild or have no heat.

Unknown Peppers

If you have an idea what varieties any of these peppers might be, please
email me. Thanks.

"Tear Jerkers" ?

My friends know I've always been a Chile-head, so last October one of
them gave me a bag of these bright red, pretty as can be peppers, which
he got from a Vietnamese girl he's just met. Her mom apparently grows the
plants.

I planted them in the garden in May, I think. Now they're nice and big,
the tallest one being about 4 feet tall, and each of them has about 60,
70 pods, with many flowers still in bloom. The pods start out green, then
turn purple/black on the sides exposed to the sun. On a couple of plants,
the most exposed, the pods are totally black, it actually looks pretty
neat, and they are all sticking straight up in the air. The flowers are
white, with 5 petals, and no spots. The seeds are yellow, not black at
all. I have tasted one of the red pods, and it is very hot, though not
as hot as I remember the original ones to be..(but then I've tasted habs
since then, so I may be off somewhat here). The pods go from purple/black
to red, with no orange phase in between.

David -- dqle@netcom.com

Exotic?

They are hot, and interesting looking -- they tend to curl up like the
one on the right. Are they some kind of thai cross?.